Combined medicine dropper and swab



79 A. E. MASSMAN EDICINE DROPPER AND SWB COMBINED Filed May 14, 1956Patented Aug. 17, 1937 Abraham E.l Massman, Lufkin, Tex.

Application May 14, 1936, Serial No.y '19,819 s claims. (ci. 12s-269)This invention relates to medicine applicators and more particularly toa device especially designed for use in the treatment of nasal ailmentssuch as head colds, hay fever, sinusitus and for nasal hygiene ingeneral,-

The object of the invention is to provide an I applicator of simple andinexpensive construction which may be used with equally good resultseither as an ordinary medicine dropper or as a nasal swab for washingand cleaning the nasal passages and for applying medicament in liquidform directly to the mucous membrane of the affected parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a medicine applicatorwhich may be charged with a predetermined quantity of liquid medicamentfor delivery to the swab when required, thereby keeping the swabsaturated with medicine and permitting continued use thereof with. outthe necessity of constantly dipping or immersing the swab within amedicine container.

A further object is to provide a medicine applicator including a, tubehaving a compressible bulb at one end thereof and a perforatedsubstantially spherical tip at the other adapted to receive a quantityof cotton or other absorbent material; means being provided for.detachably securing the cotton in position on the tip to permit readyremoval of said cotton when it Ais desired to convert the swab into amedicine dropper. ,Y

A further object is to provide novel means for clamping the cotton orabsorbent material on the perforated tipof the tube, said meanscomprising' a collar slidably mounted on thetube and movable intoengagement with the absorbent material for forcing said absorbentmaterial around a constricted neck of the tube.

A still further object of the invention is generally' to improve thisclass oi devices so as to increase .their utility, durability andefilciency.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part oi this invention and inwhich similar numerals of Areference indicate correspondingparts in lallthe ilgures of the drawing,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a meditl of standardconstruction, in which 5 designates the body of the bottle and 6 theneck, the exterior walls of which are threaded, at 1, for engagementwith a detachable cap, indicated at 8. The cap 8 is provided with acompressible bulb 9, and fitted in a groove I0 in the inner wall of thebulb 8 is the anged end II of a depending tube I2.

The tube I2 is preferably lformed of glass and of ysufficient length toextend to a point near the bottom of the bottle so that the lower endthereof will be immersed in the liquid medicament at practically alltimes. The lower end of the tube I2 is pressed, fmlolded or otherwiseformed-with a substantially spherical tip I3 provided with a. centralperforation M- through which thel medicament or other liquidfwithinthecontainer 5 may be .discharged within the nasal passages when the deviceis to be used as a medicine.

dropper. The exterior walls of the globular tip I3 Iare smooth andunobstructed so that the tip will not lacerate or irritate the delicatelining oi the nasal passages when the applicator is inserted therein forthe purpose of applying medicament to' the effected parts. The sidewalls of the tube I2 at a point immediately above the tip -I3 arepressed inwardly to form a constricted neck I5 adapted to receive astrip of cotton gauze cine bottle vequipped. with an applicator consi;ructed. in accordance with the present inven- Figure 3 is a similarview showing, the position of the parts when the device is used as aswab. The improved medicine applicator forming the subject-matter oithepresent invention is especially designed for use in connection withbotl andcleaning the nasal passages or for applying tles and othermedicine containers and by way or illustration is shown applied to amedicine botor other absorbent material I 6 when the device is to beused as a swab.

Slidably mounted on the tube I2 is a clamping collar II preferablyformed o! silver or other material not affected by the medicine withinthe bottle 5. The lower end of the collar Il is ilared ,laterally toform a bell-shaped mouth I8 and the' sidewalls of said collar areprovided with tapered ribs I9 which coact 'with a clampingring 20 forthe purpose of holding the collar in a set position on the tube. I

The cotton or gauze strip I i extends over the perforation I l in thetip and entirely surrounds said tip with the Vend portion of the stripseated within the neck I5 so that when the collar I1 is movedlongitudinally of the tube, the bell-shaped mouth thereof will t over`the'absorbent material and press the latter within the neck' I5 and inwhich vposition it will be securely clamped by sliding the ring 20 -overthe ribs 4I9 of the collar.

When the device is to be usedas a medicine dropperI` inward pressure isexerted .on the bulb 9 which sucks some of the liquid within'the end 0 1the tube, mer which the cap s with the tube 'in position 'thereon isremoved from the bottle I. The head is" then thrown back and thejtipintroduced within the nasal e and the nq-A .uid deposited therein bypressing thebulb '9 as will be readily understood.

When the device is used as a swab for washing y medicament in liquidform directly to the mucous membrane of the affected parts, the bulb 9is compressed so as to fill or partially fill the tube I2 withmedicament. The tube is then removed from the bottle 5 and the tip ofthe tube covered with the absorbent material IG, the collar I1 beingthen adjusted longitudinally of the tube I2 so as to clamp the absorbentmaterial within the neck I5 and inrwhich position it is retained by thering 2n, asv/previously stated. 'I'he applicat'or with the absorbentcotton in position thereon is then inserted within each nasal passageand rotated, or partially rotated, so as to thoroughly clean saidpassages andapply the medicament to the mucous membrane thereof. Bycompressing'the bulb 9, the charge of medicine within the tube I2 may bedeposited on the absorbent material at will so that the absorbentmaterial or swab will be kept continuously saturated without thenecessity of dipping the swab Within the liquid in the bottle from timeto time to accomplish this purpose. If desired, however, instead oflling the tube I2 with medicament before applying the absorbentmaterial, said tube may be removed from the bottle 5 and the absorbentmaterial then applied to the tip, in which event the liquid will bedrawn within the tube through the absorbent material. .After the swab I6has seryed its purpose, the clamping ring 20 is slid off the collar I1and the latter moved longitudinally of the tube I2 until the flared endI8 of the collar clears the absorbent material when said absorbentmaterial may be readily detached from the tip and thrown away. Inasmuchas the ring 20'serves to clamp the collar on the tube, it follows thatsaid collar may be held at any desired position of longitudinaladjustment on the tube so as not to interfere with the device when usedas medicine dropper.

Attention is here called to the fact that the diameter of the tip I3 isslightly greater than the diameter of the body of the tube I2 so thatthe tip I3 acts as stop and prevents the collar and its associated partsfrom being accidentally detached from the tube.

It will thus be seen that the applicator serves the dual function of amedicine dropper and as a. swab for washing and cleaning out the nasalpassages vand in addition thereto provides a means for applyingmedicament in the desired.

quantities on the surface of the affected parts. It will, of course, beunderstood that the devices may be made in different sizes andshapes`and constructed from any suitable material without departing from thespirit of the invention.

for clampingthe latter in position on the tip.

2. A medicine applicator comprising a tube having one end thereofprovided with a substantially globular tip having a dischargeperforation therein, a compressible bulb at the other end of the tube,exterior' walls of the tip and the perforation therein being adapted tobe covered by absorbent materiaLvand means mounted on the tube andengaging the absorbent material for holding the latter in position onthe tip.

3. A medicine applicator comprising a tube ,having a substantiallyglobular tip provided with a discharge perforation the tip and adjacentportions of the tube being adapted to be enclosed with absorbentmaterial covering the tip and the perforation therein, and a clampingdevice slidably mounted on the tube for engaging the absorbent material,/said clamping'member being movable to inoperative position to releasethe absorbent material and expose the discharge perforation to permitthe tube to be used as a medicine dropper.

4. A medicine applicator comprising a tube adapted to receive apredetermined charge of medicine, an enlarged substantially sphericalshaped tip disposed at one end ofthe tube and provided with a dischargeperforation, exterior walls of the tip and the perforation therein beingadapted to be covered by absorbent material, means slidably mounted onthe tube for engaging the absorbent material and holding the absorbentmaterial on the tip, and a compressible bulb at the other end of thetube for feeding the-charge of medicine through said perforation to theabsorbent material.

5. A medicine applicator including a tube hav" ing one end thereofprovided with a constricted neck terminating in a substantiallyspherical perforated tip, whereby absorbent material covering the tipand said neck may have a portion engaged in the neck, a collar slidablymounted on the tube for engaging the absorbent material and forcing lthe latter within the constricted neck, and means for holding the collarin a, set position on the tube, Athe diameter of the tip being greaterthan the tube to prevent displacement of the collar.

6. A combined swab and medicine dropper including a tube adapted toreceive a charge .of medicine, a perforated tip at one end of the tubeadapted to be covered by absorbent material extending over theperforation therein, a collar slidably mounted on the tube and adaptedto engage the absorbent material for clamping the material in positionon the tube, and means at the otherv end of the tube for feeding themedicine through said perforation to the absorbent material.

7. A medicine applicator comprising a tube, a compressible bulb at oneend of the tube, a perforated tip at the other end of said tube, a.collar slidably mounted on the`tubc`y and movable into position toengage about absorbent material and hold the absorbent material aboutthe perforated tip of the tube, inclined ribs formed on the collar. anda clamping ring adapted to engage theK ribs for holding the collar in aset position on the tube.

8. A medicine applicator comprising a tube, a compressible bulb atoneend of the tube, a substantially spherical perforated tip at.theother end of said tube and defining a constricted neck adapted toreceive a portion of absorbent material entirely covering the tip andthe perforation therein, a collar slidablymounted on the tube having itslower end flared laterally to form a bell-shaped mouth and its sidewallsprovided with inclined longitudinal ribs, said collar being movable intoposition to engage about the absorbent material for clamping the latterwithin the neck, and a ring fitted 4over the) collar and adapted toengage the ribs for holding said collar in a set position.

ABRAHAM E. MASSMAN.

